Appartitions
by The Whomping Pillow
Summary: When crimes across the nation are stopped by a supposed "ghost," Young Justice is sent to catch the mastermind apprehending these criminals. As usual though, things don't go quite as expected. They end up on a wild chase after the new vigilante "Specter," as they try to figure out her connection to the new girl at Central City High School. OC CENTERED. Canon pairings
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I'm The Whomping Pillow. :) This is my not my first attempt at a Young Justice story, but it's the first one that I've been even vaguely happy with. I'm not really sure how well it turned out, so I was hoping to get some feedback on it. **

**And in case the warning in the description wasn't enough, THIS IS OC CENTERED. If you have a problem with stories like that, don't read. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice. (Though if I did Wally wouldn't have died. *goes to cry in corner*)**

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It was a quiet Sunday evening in Happy Harbor. The sun was starting to set, but many people could still be seen out and about. The temperature was just right for a walk at dusk. Many of the town's citizens had spent the day on the beach, enjoying the last bits of summer-y weather before the cool fall air set in. They had no idea that a group of teenage superheroes had joined them.

The team had spent the weekend together at Mount Justice. It had been awhile since their last mission, and they all needed a break from their regular civilian lives. So, they planned a little team bonding trip. Everyone showed up at the Cave on Saturday, and they just hung out. Then they went to a movie and had a giant sleepover in the Cave's living room. Sunday was spent at the beach with half of Happy Harbor's population. They had a great time, and now they were just stalling on returning home. Everyone was hoping for an excuse to stay, and they got one. It just came in an unlikely form.

"Team, suit up and report to the mission room," Batman's deep voice sounded through the Cave.

"A mission? Today?" Miss Martian asked, confused. They didn't usually receive missions on school nights, unless it was absolutely necessary. Everyone shrugged in response. They were all just as clueless as she was.

"Well, let's get going. Wouldn't want to keep the Bat waiting." Everyone agreed with Kid Flash (except Artemis, who muttered "What, afraid of a little Batglare?"). Wally, hearing this, was about to retort when he was dragged from the room by Superboy to avoid any fighting.

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"Your mission will take place in Central City. The League has reasonable suspicion that a robbery will take place on the Central City branch of the National Bank."

"You mean we're stopping a bank heist?" Artemis asked bluntly. "Can't you just send one Leaguer? Sending the whole team is kind of overkill."

Batman sent her a glare. "You won't be stopping the robbery. The police have been informed, and will be in position to catch the culprits when they attempt to escape."

"So what are we doing?" Robin asked. Batman turned to him.

"You will be staking out the building." The black-clad man brought up an online newspaper on Robin's wrist computer.

The Boy Wonder read, "**Frightened Criminals Claim to be Apprehended by 'Ghost'." **Kid Flash snorted, but clammed up when his best friend shot him a "look."

After scanning the article, Robin looked at his mentor. "So we're chasing after a so-called ghost that has allegedly been catching crooks?"

Batman nodded. "Numerous crimes have been stopped in the past year by an unknown force. Each time, the criminals have been found shaking and scared half to death. They say they were caught by a ghost of a young girl."

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Kid Flash blurted out, "What does this have to do with a bank robbery?"

"The League had been following the pattern this article talks about. It's more than likely that if there really is a person behind this, that robbery is where they'll strike next. We want to take the culprit in for questioning."

Once everything had clicked in the minds of the team, Batman began to explain the plan. As he did so, Robin couldn't help but smile. He knew this was going to be an exciting mission.

If only he knew how exciting it would get.

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"_Is everyone in position?" _Aqualad asked over the mental link. When he got positive responses from each team member, he continued, "_Good. Now we'll wait for the burglars to strike." _

The team was well set up. Artemis was hidden in the shadows of the ceiling, surveying the situation from above. Miss Martian had camouflaged herself and was directly behind the bank's front desk. In the alleyway behind the building was Aqualad. Superboy and Kid Flash were both in civilian clothes, pretending to be inquiring about opening an account. And watching each of his teammates through the hacked-into security cameras was Robin. They had all exits and entrances covered; no one would get in without them noticing.

For a while, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. People came and went, depositing and withdrawing money. It was business as usually. In fact, Wally got bored enough that he started checking out the girls around them.

"_She is definitely date worthy," _he noted about a busty redhead. Artemis glared at him from her place near the roof.

"_We can all hear you, Baywatch." _ Wally shrank slightly under the glare he could feel, but not see.

"_Well it's not my fault I'm bored! I didn't think it would take this long for the bank to be robbed." _

"_We're all bored. You just can't keep your eyes off of-" _

Aqualad cut in. "_Stop bickering! We have a mission to complete." _Robin couldn't help but mentally snicker.

"_Yeah. You two can flirt when we're done here." _The pair being reprimanded blushed.

"_We're not flirting!" _Artemis and Kid Flash thought in unison. Before anyone could reply, a group of ten black-clad men crashed through the doors, brandishing guns.

"EVERYONE ON THE GROUND. NOW!" Warning shots were fired into the air as everyone, including the two disguised metas, hit the floor. Seven of the men immediately started walking around, making sure no one was trying to escape or call the police, while the other three started collecting money.

Superboy and Kid Flash crawled under a desk. There was already someone else there, a delicate looking girl who didn't look older than 13. She looked absolutely frightened, so Superboy gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She returned a shaky one of her own.

"_Time to start the plan. Kid Flash, go." _On his leader's cue, Kid Flash pulled out his phone and started to dial 911. Before he even got to the first one, the cellular device was hit out of his hand and cracked against the floor. He was hauled up by the collar of his shirt as the girl next to him screamed.

"Trying to call the cops, kid?" the criminal asked. "Not a smart move." Wally pretended to be scared.

"I-I'm sorry. P-p-please don't h-hurt me." Internally, he was trying his hardest not to punch the man. Just as his instincts were about to kick in, he was dropped back on the floor.

"No more funny business, got it?"

The speedster nodded vigorously. The men filling bags with cash were coming back to the others.

"We're done here. Let's go before the cops show up." They slowly started backing towards the door.

"_It looks like no one came to stop them," _Miss Martian thought.

"_We'll wait until everyone tries to leave and escape with the mob," _Aqualad ordered. Everyone agreed, except Robin.

Kid Flash asked his best friend, "_Dude, did you hear Aqualad?" _

"_I heard him. But there's a disturbance in the video feed. It keeps jumping, like it's skipping through stuff. I can't pinpoint the cause, but-" _ It was just as the team's youngest was about to finish when it happened.

The power in the entire building went out.

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**I hope you liked it! Sorry it's not very good, I've never been a great writer. If you can think of things for me to improve on, let me know! And if you want me to continue this, please say so. This was mostly just a way for me to practice writing, and to get a story idea out of my head. If no one tells me they're reading, I'll just quit now and call this good. So if you want more, leave a review! **

**Until next time, **

**TWP**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Since a couple people requested I continue, here's another chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

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"_Come on, Matt!" a small girl shouted happily. She was giggling and grabbing her brother's hand, dragging him behind her._

_ The tall 15-year-old brunette chuckled as she pulled him along. "Calm down, Tay. There's plenty of time to look around Metropolis. Besides, you're 12, not 5!" _

_ "Tay" rolled her hazel eyes at his comment. "It's not like anyone can tell how old I am." This was followed by some slight grumbling. It was true. While she was 12 years old, she could pass for nine because of her small, slight stature. This was also a sore point for the girl. _

_ "C'mon, Taylor. Lighten up. We're on vacation!" Matt said to her with a slight prod. This caused her to grin. _

_ "You're right. I want to go see the Daily Planet!" The pair laughed as they walked through the streets of Metropolis. _

_ While they were only a few minutes' walk away from the news organization, it took much longer for them to reach their destination. Taylor and Matt kept stopping to look at different buildings, often taking pictures. When Matt took the picture, his sister just stood and smiled, while his pictures consisted of many poses, especially ones mimicking Superman. _

_ "Do you think we'll get to see the Man of Steel himself?" Matt asked his sister after flexing in front of the LexCorp Tower. Metropolis' hero had been a man both he and his sister had admired greatly since moving to the United States. Superheroes were practically unheard of in their home country, so it was quite the change moving to the US, with all their heroes and Justice League. _

_ "I don't know. Maybe if you become a supervillain," Taylor joked. "Then you'd get to meet him in person!" She stumbled as he playfully shoved her to the side. "Hey!" _

_ Matt laughed as she indignantly pretended to brush dirt off. "You deserved it. I'm too nice to become a criminal." _

_ "And too out of shape!" she jabbed, poking him in the stomach. That wasn't at all true, though. Matt was actually quite muscular, and played goal keeper for his school's soccer team. He showed this off by picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder. _

_ "What about you, Little Miss Twig? It's not like you could do any damage to anyone." Taylor shrieked as she tried to get out of his grasp. _

_ "Put me down!" _

_ "Not until you say you're sorry." _

_ "I said put me down!" _

_ "Say sorry!" _

_ "Matthew Amsel, if you don't put me down right now, I swear I will send your sorry _hintern_ all the way back to Berlin," Taylor threatened, sounding very much like their mother. But Matt held fast. _

_ "I'm not putting you down until you apologize." The smaller sighed, knowing there was no way she could win. _

_ "Ugh, fine! I'm sorry." Matt put her down with a smile. _

_ "There was that so hard?" Taylor crossed her arms and looked away from him. "Come on, Tay. You know you liked it." She graced him with an eye roll. _

_ "Yes, it was fun. Can we go now?" _

_ "Sure. Let's go see that giant globe." He winked and she laughed as they started walking again. They had only gone one block when Matt turned to Taylor. _

_ "_Rennen Sie!"_ he shouted as he took off running. Taylor sprinted after him, but he had a huge advantage on her, considering his longer legs, stronger muscles, and head start. It wasn't long before she could no longer see him. Giving up on beating him, she slowed to a walk. _

_ It took five minutes before she realized she had no idea where she was going. She scanned the crowd, faintly hoping she could see her brother's head sticking up above the others. Of course, he was long gone by then. Taylor then started searching for a sign of the Daily Planet building. _

_ When she couldn't find it, she eventually decided to ask for help in the nearest building. It just so happened that the short auburn-haired girl had gone in a circle, and was back at LexCorp. She went into the lobby and walked up to the receptionist's desk. She had to stand on tiptoe just to see said receptionist. _

_ The woman looked at her pointedly. _

_ "Can I help you?" _

_ "Um, yeah. I'm here visiting with my brother, and I lost him in the crowd." The woman looked surprised, then softened. _

_ "Hold on just one moment, dear." She started calling someone on her earpiece. "Yes, Mr. Luthor? I have a young girl here who's lost. No, just her brother. Uh-huh." To Taylor, she said, "Where are you from?" _

_ "Santa Fey…" she replied nervously. The woman nodded. Then went back to the phone call. Eventually, she hung up. _

_ "Just sit down and wait. Mr. Luthor will be right with you." _

_ "I just need directions to the Daily Planet! There's no reason for Mr. Luthor to come see me." Taylor just wanted to get out of there and find Matt. _

_ "He insists." Sighing, the girl nodded and sat down. Since there weren't any magazines she just twiddled her thumbs and imagined what Mr. Luthor might be like. It was nearly half an hour before she was approached by light footsteps. Shaking her short hair out of her freckled face, she looked up to see Lex Luthor smiling down at her. _

_ "Hello. I heard you were lost?"_

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**There you have it; Chapter 2! Sorry for not continuing on the first chapter, I decided to throw in some background before I launched into the rest of the story. **

**Most other chapters will be over 1000 words, this one ended up a little short. **

**Big thanks to RainbowCloudArt following and favoriting, and chasezx3 for following. **

**Guest Review Replies: **

Guest: Thanks! :) I'm planning to continue this, since I'm having fun with it, even if people don't really like it.

**Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Howdy y'all! ... ****I have no idea why I said that. **

**Anywho, I'm back with another chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favoritied, and followed. Personal shoutouts are at the bottom. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice. **

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The lights all went out in an instant. Throughout the bank there were shrieks of fear. Since there were no windows, it was pitch black inside the bank. The mental link was full of stunned silence; no one knew what to say.

After a moment, Aqualad asked, _"Is everything alright? What has occurred?"_ Everyone had forgotten that he wasn't in the building, and had no clue what was going on. After all, it was still evening outside, so nothing seemed wrong to him.

_"Everyone's fine, but the power went out,"_ Artemis informed him.

"_There should be backup generators that turn on the second the power goes out. Why aren't we getting light?"_ Robin thought, mostly to himself. No one had a response.

As the only one who could currently tell what was going on*****, Superboy watched the burglars carefully. The group of ten was currently frozen halfway between the desk and door. They hadn't planned for this situation, and didn't know what to do. Finally, one holding a bag of money ran to the door in an attempt to escape. Just before he reached it, though, everyone could hear the lock click shut.

The robber stopped moving. Kid Flash held his breath, thinking the criminals were locking them in to hold them hostage. Then one of the other robbers spoke.

"Did you just lock the door?"

The one who had gone to the door responded, "No, it locked on its own."

"That's not possible," another scoffed. "Doors don't just lock themselves. Someone had to have done it!"

"But who?! None of these civilians are stupid enough to lock us in." While they bickered amongst themselves, Young Justice was trying to piece everything together.

"_Someone has to have disconnected the power lines. All of them. Including the generators," _Robin said.

"_But who?" _Miss Martian asked. _"Do you think it's the vigilante?" _

"_Who else would it be?" _Superboy pointed out. Artemis cut in.

"_Well, if it is, they're about to strike. The door just locked itself." _

"_Be ready to apprehend the perpetrator if so," _Aqualad directed. _"Robin, try to get the power back online. Miss Martian-" _ Before he could finish his order, one dim generator lit up. Mental shouts of surprise filled the link, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Eerie shadows were cast about the room. Everyone was blinking madly, trying to adjust to the change in lighting. It was the girl Wally had been checking out earlier who first saw it. She pointed and screamed, drawing everyone's attention to that direction.

On the edge of the shadows stood the figure of a small girl. She was dressed in a tank top, pants, and boots, all black. There was a thick silver band around her upper left arm, and well as a thinner one around each wrist. Her skin was deathly pale, and her long hair was almost as white. It was pulled back into a high ponytail, with side bangs covering her right eye. Her visible eye, though, was glowing a bright violet.

The girl just stood there, arms by her sides. She observed the group, and no one took their eyes off her. This went on for a full minute, her not even blinking. Then she started walking forward slowly. She was pointed straight towards the burglars. This caused them to back away quickly, slowly raising their guns at her. This caused her to smirk, and open her mouth.

"What's the matter?" she asked in whisper-like tone, though it was audible to everyone in the room. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

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Aqualad and Robin were both watching the entire thing through Miss Martian's mental images, as they were the only ones couldn't see what was going on.

When the girl spoke, Superboy asked, _"Should we apprehend her?" _

"_Not yet. We'll wait to see if she reveals any sort of powers before we try to capture her," _Aqualad ordered.

"_Hey, Supey," _Kid Flash said suddenly, "_Do you see the girl that was next to us? She's gone…" _ Superboy grunted in response.

"_Let's stay on task, guys," _Miss Martian told them.

All of the burglars were now backed against the bank doors. The girl was still moving towards them. They all had their weapons ready to fire, but none had shot.

"Wh-who are you?" one managed to get out. Her smirk just grew.

"Your reckoning." It was then that her boot came into contact with the speaker's shadow. He froze, and her smirk grew as the fright in his face grew. By now, the others were in a full blown panic.

The man collapsed just as the girl disappeared into thin air. The robbers looked around, trying to find her. They were shouting and pointing their guns at random points in the room, but she wasn't there. Then another one of them collapsed. This caused a few civilians to scream.

"_Miss Martian, see if you can get into her mind and pinpoint her location." _The Martian started doing a mental search and finally found her.

"_I've got her. But it's hard to focus; there's some sort of shadow cloaking her mind." _

The girl reappeared just outside the circle of light. All the criminals' guns were immediately trained on her, but she raised her arms and the glow in her eyes increased in intensity. The shadows swelled, darkened, and enveloped the whole room. There was no noise, and everyone held their breath. The only thing that could be seen was her glowing purple eyes.

"_Knock her out!" _Robin mentally shouted. But he was just a moment too late. The glow disappeared entirely, and everyone in the bank lost consciousness.

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**Well, that's it for today. I know, I kind of suck. I just love ending chapters abruptly like that. :D **

**As for notices, just be aware that I don't usually update this often. Life is going to catch up to me fast and updates will slow down a lot. Just a head's up. **

**Shoutouts to: ValeLucyandtheWeirdnessClub, tula453, Jennifer Scott, and Lord-of-Change**

**I think that's all. As always, I love feedback, so let me know what I can improve! **

**REVIEW! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait, guys. I had the chapter all written, but then my internet decided not to let me on fanfiction. :P But it's here now! **

**Unless I can write a chapter tomorrow or the day after, it'll be a week or so before I can update again. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

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"_KF! Wake up!" _Wally groaned as Robin's worried voice rang through his head. He had a pounding headache, and felt really disoriented. His brain was fuzzy, and he could barely remember what was going on. He opened his eyes for a moment, but immediately winced and shut them again. The lights were blazing full force.

"_D-Rob?" _he managed to think. He then realized that he was sprawled out awkwardly on a hard floor, crammed under a wooden desk. "_Why am I on the floor?" _

"_We were trying to catch the rogue vigilante. She managed to render everyone unconscious and escape," _Aqualad's calm voice came through the link. Kid Flash suddenly remembered the details of what had happened; the power going out, the girl appearing, and suddenly being knocked out.

"_So we didn't catch her?" _His tone was one of disappointment. No one responded to Wally's question, but it wasn't really necessary.

The speedster pulled himself out from under the desk, Superboy following. Both boys stretched, trying to work out the kinks their muscles had developed from staying in strange positions too long. As Wally twisted his neck, he realized that all ten of the robbers were tied up in a pile at the center of the room.

The black-clad men were only just starting to come to. One of them groaned and blinked slowly as he woke up. It was the one who had first collapsed. When he remembered what had happened, the blood drained from his face. His expression was pure fright, and he started shaking. Wally couldn't tell if he noticed that he was tied up, or even cared. When the other criminals woke up, they all reacted similarly, though none of them were nearly as petrified as the first.

"_Should we call the cops?" _Superboy asked.

"_No. I just got a call from Batman. The authorities will be here at any moment. Miss Martian, Artemis, Robin, withdraw immediately. Kid Flash, Superboy, leave as soon as you can and meet us at the rendezvous point," _Aqualad ordered.

Kid Flash replied, _"Got it." _He glanced up at the ceiling, seeing a hidden figure slowly move towards a vent cover. They wouldn't be noticeable if he didn't know where to look. The figure silently opened the vent and slipped inside. Artemis had gotten out.

His attention was diverted when the police came running through the now-unlocked door. There were swarms of them, much more than there would be for any other bank robbery. And Wally knew why: they wanted to catch the vigilante. Her methods were somewhat questionable, and she was making the police look bad. They wanted to bring her in, to make an example that similar actions would not be tolerated.

Most of the officers who had come began a search of the building. Some stayed to bring the already-captured criminals to prison, and others began checking on civilians. One walked up to Kid Flash and Superboy.

"Hello, boys. My name is Officer Fleming. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?" Wally internally sighed, knowing it would be awhile before they would be allowed to go. But he couldn't exactly say no to a police officer.

"Okay," he said simply, preparing himself.

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_Taylor started up at the bald man. He was very tall, and very intimidating. Even with the kind smile he was putting on, there was something in his eyes that she didn't like. However, she pushed down the instinctive unease rising in her stomach. This man was only going to help her. There was no reason to be afraid. _

"_Y-yeah," she stuttered, then winced. She hadn't meant to sound so frightened. Lex's smile softened a bit, and he crouched down to her height. _

"_Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Come on, I'll help you find your brother." He held out his hand, looking so sincere that she almost trusted him completely. Almost. But she didn't want to refuse his help, so she grabbed it and let him help her out of the chair and led her down the hallway of LexCorp. Their footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet, and the lighting typical for an office building. Taylor couldn't help but notice that everything seemed almost _too _normal, like it was forced. _

_They reached a sleek elevator at the end of the hallway. There were no buttons, the doors just glided open silently just as the pair reached them. Entering the elevator, Lex pressed a button for the basement, not a floor Taylor had been expecting. _

"_Why are we going to the basement?" she asked, both curious and afraid at once. The man just smiled like he knew something she didn't. Which he probably did. _

"_You'll see." The doors slid shut seamlessly, and they began their descent. It was very smooth, which Taylor appreciated. She didn't much like elevators. _

_The ride took longer than she had anticipated. They had obviously travelled several stories down, instead of just one. When the doors once again opened, she was surprised to see the sight of a laboratory, not an office. _

_There were several tables full of high-tech equipment. A few also contained test tubes holding multi-colored liquids, many of which were fizzing or steaming. One wall was solely a giant computer while all the others held pods marked with letter-number classifications. In the center of it all was what looked like some cross between a dentist chair and a medical table. There was no one besides the two of them inside. _

"_W-what's this room?" Lex smirk down at her, then put a hand on her back and started pushing her towards the middle of the room. _

"_Don't worry, I'm going to help you." She pulled away from him. _

"_Actually, I don't need help, thanks. I'll find my brother on my own." _

_Taylor turned to go back to the elevator, but Luthor grabbed her arm in a viselike grip and yanked her back. _

"_Sorry, but I can't let you leave. You're the perfect candidate. Besides, you've seen too much." He dragged her over to the chair and shoved her onto it. He strapped her down so she couldn't move. The girl let out a scream. Luthor just laughed. _

"_No one can hear you. Now, just calm down. This won't hurt a bit." He pulled out a syringe full of black liquid. Taylor froze, and tried to pull away, but the bonds held her in place. Turning her head to expose her neck, Luthor pushed the needle into her skin and injected her with the liquid. She tried to call out for help, but her voice wasn't working properly. Taylor sank into unconsciousness, her last sight being Lex Luthor's smiling face._

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**There you have it. :) This one is a bit longer, so I hope you enjoyed. I'll do my best to get another chapter up soon, but no guarantees. **

**Review! **


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